


Lights in the Sky

by JMoonrise



Series: Let the Light In [3]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Embarrassment, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Fourth of July, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-22 10:22:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14306631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JMoonrise/pseuds/JMoonrise
Summary: The celebration of the nation comes with some family drama and surprises.





	1. Chapter 1

A sigh escaped him for the millionth time that morning. If she heard the annoying sound from him again, she was going to throttle him. She threw a nasty glare with her sharp blue eyes.

He sensed her eyes on his back, but chose to ignore it as he continued to assist her in preparing food for later.

A cooing noise was heard over the baby monitor, and his shoulders relaxed a little. He was still completely stressed out about the situation they were facing. It was their daughter’s first major holiday, and for some reason his wife decided to have a huge barbecue to commemorate the whole thing.

_“Scully,” he begged with his eyes. “Please don’t make me have to do this.”_

_She threw up her arms angrily. “Mulder, after all the shit I’ve done for you over the years, I think you can give me this one.” He took a step back at her tone. “I’ve actually been covered in shit too and slime, and God knows what else. It’s just one afternoon.”_

_“Yes, with your asshole brother,” he muttered when she turned her back. Although by the sharp glare she sent over her shoulder, she definitely caught some of it._

_Bill and he had issues that went back over twenty years now. He wouldn’t have had a problem with the man if not for his constant interference in his sister’s life and asshole-ish tendencies. All Mulder had to do was walk in a room and a scowl found a way onto the man’s face. Sometimes he simply couldn’t understand how a sweet woman like Tara could be with such a douche._

_Scully walked back into the room carrying their week old daughter. Red fuzz still covered her head, and she had such a fair complexion. They had yet to have their first outing with her, which was perfectly fine with the new parents._

_The outside world made them quite nervous. They didn’t want to expose their daughter to anything. The tests had all come back confirming what they knew, but after the drama with their son, they needed the reassurance._

_The petite mother settled on the couch with the baby in her arms. Prior to their daughter’s birth, they did some remodeling. It was past time to not only add onto the house, but redecorate the entire house. All of their decision making about the décor was done during a time when they didn’t exactly have access to a lot of funds, and when Mulder was still wanted by the FBI._

_It was completely impossible for them to do anything resembling their setups in their former apartments._

_After Scully left him, he changed a few things. He no longer contained files to his office, and his belongings migrated to all sorts of places around the house. With her back in his life, everything was much more organized. He de-cluttered his office and threw away a lot of the newspaper clippings. The events back in Norfolk left far too many scars, and he no longer wanted to chase the outlandish as he had in the past._

_It brought so much pain and darkness into their lives, and he understood what Scully was talking about all those years ago when the FBI offered him his freedom. What they did back then invited monsters into their lives, and they barely survived. Somehow they were still standing, but it wasn’t without their losses._

_Redoing their house gave them something else to focus on aside from their impending parenthood. They hired someone for the painting and they spent several days relaxing on the beach in southern Florida._

_They redid the bedrooms upstairs. The nursery took sometime to come together, but they wanted to do something that was easy to convert as their daughter aged. The walls were lilac with a white border. A window seat was installed for her as she aged, but also provided some extra storage. Their daughter was real and growing inside her mother. Mulder marveled at all of the subtle changes he missed out on the first time._

_He arrived towards the end of her pregnancy and spent several weeks stumbling and mumbling his way through awkward, stilted conversations with the woman of his life. Then when he finally got his head out of his ass, well it was basically too late._

_He considered his next words to the woman he built a life with over the last two almost three decades. She stuck by his side no matter what even when she didn’t believe in his far fetched theories. She was always there as he investigated cases that no sane person would take. He could do this one thing for her even if it meant four days with Bill Scully Jr._

_“Dana,” she glanced wearily at him. Her blue eyes showed her tiredness and guilt crippled him. He was hurting her. “I’m sorry for being an ass. You’re right. I’ll suck it up and try to grin and bear it for you.”_

_Tears fell unashamedly from her eyes and his heart jumped. “Please don’t cry, I’m sorry.” He hurried over to brush them away._

_“I’m fine,” she chuckled. “It’s my hormones. They’re still out of balance. I’m not upset, really,” she said. “I’m feeling incredibly lucky and a bit pissed that I can’t do anything for several weeks to show my full appreciation.” He groaned and planted a kiss on her forehead._

“Tell me again why this is a good idea?” He asked her as he cut up potatoes for the potato salad.

She set down her own knife and wiped her hands on her apron. “It’s one holiday. I know Bill can be quite the bully, and he’s still a bit pissed we got married. I’m a grown woman and I don’t cower before my brother. It’s also the first time I’ve managed to convince Charlie to show up in years.”

Mulder after 27 years of knowing the woman before him had still not met the infamous Charles Scully. The remaining siblings rarely spoke of him, and he was aware the man used to turn up at family events until Melissa died. Then he seemed to fall of the radar.

Hell, it took Maggie on her deathbed for him to even call back. To be honest, Mulder didn’t think much of the youngest Scully. To him, Missy and Dana were the only ones worth acknowledging in their generation. Charlie abandoned his entire family, and while he knew there were obviously circumstances and family dynamics at play that resulted in his estrangement, Mulder couldn’t fathom how someone could just abandon their family.

Even his father, for what he was worth continued to have some part in his life. It was infrequent weekend visits and brief stints in the summer, but at least he saw the man.

Mulder took a seat at the kitchen table and stared at her imploringly. She sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You know when you talk about your childhood, and I compare it to mine, mine almost seems idyllic. It really wasn’t though.” She exhaled softly into his neck. “We called Bill the Billy Bully.” Mulder snorted in amusement. “He bossed us around because told him he was man of the house when he was gone. He took the role far too seriously. Mom was working an administrative job at the time, and so Billy Bully was in charge. Missy openly rebelled against his authority and defended us against him. He was hard on Charlie because they were so different.”

He nodded against her head. He could picture the scene easily. Some people never outgrew bad habits. “You’ve seen how he treats me as if I’m a little girl. He likes to make decisions for us, sort of in the same way Ahab did. Don’t get me wrong I love my father, but when I made the decision to not pursue medicine as a career, things remained strained between us. It’s why is death was so hard on me.”

Mulder’s arms tightened around her as he thought back to the beginning. They still had barely scratched the surface in their partnership. He knew the most basic of facts about her, and trust between them wasn’t as strong as it was now.

“As we all moved out, we sort of drifted apart. Missy and I were much closer once she left home. Sharing a room with your polar opposite isn’t easy. She wasn’t always into spiritualism, but sometime during her college years, she developed into the person she was when you met her.” It was strange for her to think back to almost forty years ago.

Her head nestled into her spot. “Charlie was the one who had the worst rebellion. I was pretty bad myself, there was a phase of multicolored hair and questionable clothes. Charlie was the last one at home. He and dad fought so much, especially because Bill joined the navy. He sort of expected the same from Charlie who had no military aspirations. It drove them apart, so much so he didn’t even show up to Ahab’s funeral.” She sniffled against his chest.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, gently rubbing her back. “I’ll behave myself,” he promised.

“It’s okay if you and Bill don’t get along. I just want Bells to have a nice fourth of July even if she won’t remember it.” It was also their first one together since they reunited.

He spent the last few staring up at the sky with a lot of beer in his cooler. Last year there was still far too much tension between them, and there was the whole finding their son thing.

“We better finish up, I’ve still got to shower and Bella needs a bath too.” He didn’t bother asking her why a baby who rarely left the house needed another bath.

Together they worked on completing the last of their preparations until later in the afternoon when her family would arrive.

The two former agents fell in a heap of limbs onto their couch. “You know I’m actually glad we got new furniture. I don’t think I could continue look at all of the old stuff without thinking about when those assholes entered our home and shot up the fucking place.” Mulder shifted uncomfortably at her use of what she called sentence enhancers. It never failed to get a rise out of him when the prim and proper Dana Scully used foul language.

“God Scully,” he groaned. “You can’t say shit like that to me.” She grinned naughtily, a teasing look in her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. We can’t even have sex for two more weeks.”

He was adamant that if she couldn’t have any pleasure, he wouldn’t either. It was hard, especially in the morning with all of her pressed up against him. His morning erection never failed to make an appearance. He took to thinking about things to kill it. He wanted to do this in solidarity, especially because he never had the opportunity to last time.

Scully sighed sadly and placed her head on his chest. Sex was one of the best things about her pregnancy. Mulder missed out on the second trimester the first time around, and by the time he rose from the dead, things were far too awkward between them to initiate anything intimate.

“Can I tell you something Scully?” She hummed sleepily in response. “During all of our times apart, this right here is what I missed the most.” She glanced up, her eyes filled with confusion. “I loved moments where life around us was still, and we just talked nonsense. It kind of sometimes reminds me of our time in Antarctica or all the times we’ve had in quarantine.” He smiled wryly.

Neither of them could exactly forget any of those moments. They were embedded in their memories forever. It should’ve bothered them all the things they’ve seen, but somehow throughout all their years on the x-files, it was all common place.

Scully wasn’t sure when she would’ve categorized a liver eating mutant almost killing her as normal. Yet, throughout all of their shit, they had each other.

“Tell me about your first fourth after you left.”

She pursed her lips thoughtfully as if considering what she wanted to tell him. Truthfully, it was one of the hardest holidays for her after she moved out. It was the first one she spent alone without him, and it was hard to watch her brother and his family be happy when she was miserable. Her mother attempted to cheer up with some of her favorite foods, but it just made her remember him.

“I remember mostly being sad. I think I scared Violet with all of my tears. She walked in on me having a cry fest in the bathroom.” It was one of the more humiliating moments of her life. Her eight year old niece just barged into the bathroom and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Scully. “My eyes were red and puffy, my face all wet, and it wasn’t a good look. I almost got into my a million times that day to come home to you.”

He pressed a kiss to her hair. “I was out in the field getting completely pissed. Some of the neighbors had a light show, and I watched in a complete haze. At some point I started yelling until I fell to the ground sobbing. Nothing in my life hurt as much as your absence.” She splattered small kisses on his neck to offer him comfort. “I regretted driving you away, and after that day I made it a mission to get help.”

“Why’d you stop contact?” It hurt when he requested someone else as his personal physician. She received the paperwork to transfer all of his records without a single phone call from him to explain.

“Early in my sessions my therapist helped me to understand what a burden I placed on you. Don’t look like that,” he tapped her frowning lips. “We were always saving each other and only trusting one another, and while it’s not wrong, we developed a co-dependency. I couldn’t function without you there, and it was when she pointed these things out I realized I needed to get better for me. My motivation may have been you, but my reason needed to be me.”

She had similar conversations with her own therapist. It was her mother’s stipulation when she let her stay at her house for a few months.

“We talked about my depression, and I told her the whole alien conspiracy thing. She actually believes in aliens by the way.” She slapped his chest. “She told me to cut myself off because what I was doing wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t good for me or you. I couldn’t let you see me like that anymore, and I had already wrought so much destruction into your life. You needed the light. I was firm on my place in the darkness.”

It was a hard truth to admit. His constant presence in the darkness drove them apart for almost four years.

He disconnected from everyone, although she suspect Skinner kept in contact. He only used her because Mulder was far more receptive to her pleas. “I guess it hit for me when I tried your cell and it was disconnected. I wanted to check up on you, but my therapist told me those sort of tendencies are what landed us in our situation. I kept trying to fix everything for you.”

Bill’s smugness in the months following their separation made her therapy all the worse for her. At family functions, he seemed more pleased than usually. It took everything in her not to smack it off his face. Her mother tried to invite Mulder, but he rejected all the invites.

“You know your mom and I stayed in contact. She visited every few months and made dinner.” It didn’t surprise Scully. Her mother had such a fondness for him. “She told me she knew the moment she met me I was in love with you. I told her I was a fool.”

“I really miss her. She used have the whole block over for the fourth.” They both smiled at their memories. “I have to do this for her and us. I don’t want Isabella to grow up thinking she has no family.”

Mulder understood the valid point she was making. All of his family died out a longtime ago. For the last twenty odd years, the only family he had was the woman beside him. They shared a son somewhere in the world and a tiny baby resting in a bassinet.

“Come on G-woman, let’s go get ready,” he helped her off the couch and took her proffered hand.

It was going to be a long weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

Around three in the afternoon, there was a loud knocking on the door. Mulder turned to look at his wife, who just put her hands on her hips. He sighed as he took three long strides to answer the door.

On the other side was Bill Scully. He was quite older than the last time Mulder saw him. His hair was mostly grey these days. Tara stood next to him as lovely as ever. Mulder knew there was a bit of an age gap between them, and she was closer to Scully’s age.

“Bill,” he attempted a smile.

The man in question grunted until he received a jab in the side from his wife. “Mulder,” he grimaced as if in pain.

Neither man was particularly a fan of the other. Scully cleared her throat loudly as if to remind him to invite them inside. He gestured for them to come in. Matthew grinned broadly at him with his boyish charm. His eyes were the standard Scully blue, but he was blonde like his mother.

“Hey Matty,” he greeted warmly at his nephew. He had known the boy basically since birth. It was incredible how much he had grown.

The boy threw his arms around him. “Hey Uncle Fox, how’s it going?” Matthew was twenty years old, and it amazed Mulder to see him.

“Well your little cousin is quite the insomniac.” The young man chucked. “How’s school going?”

Matthew had chosen to not pursue a military career, and instead applied and was accepted at the University of Virginia. He frequently visited Mulder even during the separation. “Oh, it’s good. I’m actually taking some courses this summer so I haven’t had much of a break.”

“Matty, stop taking up all of Uncle Fox’s time.” Fourteen year old Violet shoved her brother forward in order to hug her favorite uncle.

Mulder wasn’t entirely sure when her little crush developed, but all of the adults bar one thought it was adorable. She trailed after him whenever they were in the same vicinity. Her eyes were wide and adoring. She complimented him and wanted to sit next to him at all meals. He suspected part of her infatuation lingered, but he wouldn’t say anything about it to her.

As she glanced up at him, he bit back a sigh. It was odd to him when young girls were attracted to him. He found it to be an issue when he was teaching at the university. His classes filled up quickly, and there was quite the population of women in each course.

“Hey Vi,” he ruffled her hair playfully, hoping to set some boundaries with her.

Not one to be deterred, Violet hugged her uncle for all he was worth. He heard Scully’s giggles in the background, and he would plan his revenge for later.

The last to enter was Autumn. She was ten, and a welcome surprise for her parents who thought they were done. She was Mulder’s favorite out of all Bill’s children. Autumn had a fascination with the weird and unexplained, and wholeheartedly enjoyed the stories he regaled her with about his and Scully’s work.

Her toothy grin was jubilant as her eyes landed on him. “Do you have any new stories?” She bypassed all formalities.

Mulder often found it difficult to believe such a child could come from his brother-in-law. They were complete opposites. Her number one desire was to join the FBI, and become an agent on the x-files. “I’ve got some really good ones since I last you.”

The last time he saw her she was six. Maggie wouldn’t take no for an answer as he tried to talk his way out of another family gathering. “Your Aunt Dana and I went on super cool cases. There was even an unintentional x-file where we,” he glanced back inside to find Scully’s eyes on him. “Were attacked by an A.I.” He whispered conspiratorially, his eyes greener than usual. He winked at the utter fascination on her young face. “I’ll tell you later.” He guided her inside.

Half an hour later, Mulder finally met the infamous Charlie Scully. He wasn’t quite what he expected. While his stature was similar to Bill, Charlie reminded him more of his sister. They had the same freckles and hair. However his overall disposition was the exact opposite as both Scully and Bill.

In many ways, he was reminded of Melissa. They were both light hearted and open. Charlie’s emotions appeared on his face, and Mulder saw above all else the fear and anxiety the family event was causing him. He imagined it would’ve been the same if he had found Samantha.

Bill and Scully were stubborn, opinionated, and sometimes emotionally closed off. Mulder suspected they took after their father. From what he knew, they sought their father’s approval the most and often took actions they knew he would approve of. It was when his Starbuck joined the FBI that his disposition towards his daughter took a sudden turn.

“Hello,” he greeted Charlie with a firm shake. Charlie’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. “I was honestly beginning to think they doctored photos and you didn’t exist.”

Charlie let out a guffaw, startling Mulder in the process. None of the Scully siblings he was familiar with openly laughed like this. They were a bit more subdued. He thought there were definitely interesting family dynamics at play.

“Well I was beginning to think Dynamo was never going to marry you. I was pretty convinced she made up your relationship.” Mulder decided Charlie was a man after his own heart. “I mean clearly you’re a decent looking guy, yet somehow it takes her seven years to notice.” The younger man shook his head sadly. “Dana always was blind.”

The woman in question appeared beside Mulder instantly with a reproachful look. “Charlie,” her voice was calm, but the disapproval was heard.

The man threw his arms around his sister and her arms slowly came to wrap around him. They simply held each other for a few moments. Dana sniffled a little, and Mulder had to bite back a smile.

Teary, emotional Dana was one of his favorites of her multi-faceted personality. She constantly surprised him with all the sides of her. It actually fascinated him how even almost thirty years later, he learned new things about her every day.

Once they pulled apart, she socked her brother in the arm. “If you ever think about running out on the family again, I have connections.” She threatened with her predatory eyes. Mulder had been on the wrong side of those eyes in the past. He hoped her brother was smart enough to understand a threat when he heard one.

An hour later, Mulder and Charlie were on the back porch, a beer in each of their hands. “Dana used to be a little monster when we were kids. She actually went on a Christmas strike one year.” Mulder’s eyes sparkled in the late afternoon light. “She painted her entire body green and before we woke up the next morning hid all the presents, stockings, and all the easy to remove decorations. She even played the song.”

Mulder cackled loudly at the thought of his Scully doing something so nefarious. “When my parents asked her about it, she said she just wanted to be the Grinch.”

Bill exited the house in the middle of their laughing. “Are you telling him the Grinch story?”

“Yeah, I figured he should know what he’s in for in the future.”

“It’s a real story Mulder. Dana hated Christmas and Santa so much when she was eight. She devised a whole plan to attack Santa if he came down the chimney. She had her baseball bat at the ready. She also placed some ornaments in front of the fireplace to distract him so she could get him.”

It was inconceivable to him to think of his wife as a Christmas hating little girl. “I don’t believe you. There’s no way the woman who gets excited when the Christmas stations start popping up could ever hate Christmas. You’re putting me on.” He stood up to check on the burgers and hot dogs.

“She did it for two years even after dad and mom grounded her. Then when she was ten her whole attitude about the holiday changed. It was strange.” Charlie shook his head. “Dana would have you believe she was a perfect angel, but that’s a lie.”

It seemed to be the one topic where Bill felt he could contribute. “She was outspoken from the moment she could talk. My dad used to make home videos when he was one leave, and you would’ve thought it would be Missy in front of the camera. It was Dana. She did these videos where she would talk about how beautiful, kind, and important she was and then end it by calling our mom fat.”

Mulder choked on his swig of beer. “You’re kidding?”

“Nope, she was pregnant with Charlie, and Dana ignored anything about the topic of mom having a baby. She just said she was fat. I’ll have to find the videos. Sometimes he asked her about boys. She said she was into bad boys.”

Mulder never imagined a scenario where he and Bill Jr. were laughing in each other’s presence. He still hadn’t decided whether it was good or bad. “I’ll call everyone out as the burgers are just about done.”

A Grinch like grin covered his face as he entered his house. Scully neglected to tell him a lot of things. The kids were settled around the kitchen table eating snacks. “Guys, you’ll ruin your appetite.” There was a collective eye roll. “Food is almost done, so you guys can head outside.”

In the living room, the females were gathered around Scully holding the baby. “She’s too precious for words. The photos didn’t do her justice.” Beth, Charlie’s wife cooed over Bells.

“She’s a bit on the tiny side, but she’s got a good appetite like her father.” The women giggled and Mulder decided it was time break it up.

He playfully covered his eyes and walked into the room. “Male entering,” he joked to their amusement. He peeked through his fingers to see Scully shaking her head at him, a smile adorning her lips. “I’ve sent the children out and I’ve come to fetch the women.”

“Oh Mulder,” Tara laughed. “Never change.” She collected the baby from Scully’s arms. “We’ll meet you out there,” she winked at him.

“What the hell was that all about?” He asked once they were gone.


End file.
